Temporaryism
by Blue Falcon2
Summary: A whole web of love triangles and problems ensues. Terri’s life changes, Craig confronts a few decisions, and Paige learns a valuable lesson from someone she least expected.
1. Chapter 1

**Temporaryism**

**Pairings:  **Just wait and see!!  (Het)

**Rating: ** PG-13

**Summary:  **Tenth grade was supposed to be _the year, right?  So why is it that tenth grade seems to be the worst year in school yet?  Terri's life changes, Craig confronts a few decisions, and Paige learns a valuable lesson from someone she least expected.  Romantic interludes…expect all couples._

**Disclaimer:  **It's ridiculous to believe that I own any of the characters, because I don't.  This fan fiction is for entertainment purposes only.  Don't sue, unless you want a few pennies and a piece of gum.

**Author's Note:  **Okay, so I may not be the best writer, or I may not have a Beta, but god dangit I _do _use my grammar and spelling common sense.  Other than that, Terri is awesome.  And if you don't like her, then this may or may not be the fic for you.  Judge for yourself.

            It was a rather chilly day- considering autumn had only started.  As the radiant sun peeked over the high tree tops and the sunlight filtered onto the opposing buildings, Terri wished nothing more than to receive some of the heat from the tantalizing sphere in the sky.  A chill ran down her spine as a cold breeze swept past.  She hated mornings like this—lonely, cold mornings in which there was nothing eventful; it gave her too much time to look over every single one of her flaws.  For mornings like this, she thought, she was very unthankful for.

            This year wasn't going to be all that different…at least not for her.  Year after year, it was all the same.  Same friends.  Same clothing.  Terri looked down at what she was wearing.  Definitely same clothes.  It was no secret that what Terri most hated about herself was her weight.  She always held her extra 35 pounds against herself, and wearing scandalous clothing wasn't going to boost her self-esteem.  She sighed.  Her destiny, it seemed, was to wear large shirts and baggy sweatpants for the rest of her life.

            She was content, however, with the fact that she had lost 10 pounds over the course of the summer.  Exercising rigorously everyday had somewhat paid off, considering the fact that she could now fit into clothes that she couldn't have 3 months ago.  This thought brought a warm sensation inside her she had thought she would never feel again: Confidence.  Straightening her posture and holding her head up high, she quickened her pace along the curved sidewalk.  _What if people noticed? She smiled to herself as she imagined her friends' expressions.  Blushing, she thought, _what if Spinner noticed?  How would he react?  _A giggle escaped her lips.  _What if he-__

Then she stopped herself.  **_Don't be ridiculous Terri- get REAL.  What would Spinner want to do with a fat cow like me, when he has Paige-Miss-Perfect-Body-Michalchuk?  _**Besides, after that disastrous dance…

            Her shoulders sagged back down.

            Despite all of this doom and gloom, there was still some light in her gray mind: Terri couldn't wait to see her companions after a long summer.  Ashley had gone off to California to stay with her relatives, and Paige went off to Ukraine to catch up with her grandparents.  She never really kept in contact with the boys, but she heard Spinner had gone off to Quebec and Jimmy was just…unavailable.  So throughout her summer, she fed herself with large doses of television.  Roswell had been her favorite show, mainly because of the delicious eye-candy it provided:  Michael.  And because of this, she had found friendship in an unexpected place.

            During the early days of July, a Roswell convention had been held in a town that was pretty faraway.  Obviously Terri went.  What was better than some reunion of fans, along with cast appearances?  After much begging to her Dad, he allowed Terri to attend.  _Under one condition_, he said.  _No boys.  After much laughing, she assured her father that he should have no worries about the XY species whatsoever.  A week later they left for the anticipated convention weekend._

            When they got there, Terri wasn't all surprised.  Since the cast was there, it was blatant that cameras were to follow.  And because of this, she should've known that a certain aspiring photographer would attend.  Yep, out of all the people she could've seen, she bumped into none other than Craig.  Not that it was a bad thing, oh no.  Quite the contrary, because of his company, the whole convention was a more enjoyable experience than she expected.

            The first night of the convention they found each other.  Both felt slightly uncomfortable; the last time they had seen each other was shortly after Craig's breakdown at the dance.  The following minutes was spent in meaningless small talk…"how's your summer?" and all that jazz.  Then Terri got right to the point…

****flashback****

**            _"Look Craig, about the dance…"_**

_            "Oh, you mean the dance where I performed the Funky-Chinese-Chicken dance? "_

_            Despite the seriousness of the situation, Terri giggled.  It was incredible, how could he crack jokes about such a serious situation?  "Craig, no.  I mean, yes, that dance.  Where did you think of that name?  Uh-no, forget I asked that."  She was stuttering like a lunatic.  What was wrong with her?  Craig was looking at her with furrowed eyebrows.  "What I meant to ask was: how are you doing?  How are you **really doing?"**_

_            Craig looked surreptitiously at his surroundings, and then nodded at the exit.  "Let's talk about this outside okay?"  With a quick nod, Terri followed Craig through the masses of people.  In about 2 hours, the convention location had gotten packed.  No one looked at them; they were too busy trying to cast glances at the cast to care about two teenagers walking out.  A woman did though, and she winked at Terri.  **Urgh…not like that!**_

**_They stepped through the backdoor, which seemed too expensive to be one.  The night was cool; the sky a rich dark blue, littered with hundreds of twinkling lights.  The grass in front of the building had recently been watered, reflecting the moonlight like waves on the pavement.  There were no annoying street lamps to disguise the beauty of the night.  Because of this, Terri felt like they had stepped in through the wrong door.  This seemed like a parallel universe- no technology, just you and Mother Nature._**

_            Craig looked at her.  "Beautiful night, isn't it?"_

_            She sighed.  "No…"  She shook her head and looked up at the stars.  "It's breathtaking."  She smiled to herself.  It felt good to take a break from the busy world once in a while.  Suddenly, a bright white light flashed in the corner of her eye.  She turned her head to find Craig with his camera in hand._

_            "Eh…" he laughed weakly, "cheese?"  His voice sounded as if her were just caught with his hand in the cookie jar.  Terri laughed in spite herself._

_            "Thanks, but we're not out here to take pictures."  She sighed and looked into his eyes.  "I don't whether to be worried about you or-"_

_            "No.  Don't be."  Craig tore his gaze away and sat on the curb.  Terri followed suit.  "Really, I'm fine."_

_            "Craig…"_

_            "No.  I'm being serious.  I already made the mistake of denying my feelings in the beginning…I'm not gonna commit the same mistake again."  He looked down at his feet._

_            "Are you sure?"  She took Craig's word, but she was human.  She was still worried about him._

_            "Yeah."  And that was his final answer.  _

_            "She put a hand on his arm and gently squeezed.  "I'll be here if you ever have a change of heart."  Craig looked into her face with astonishment, but graciously nodded and grinned at her.  He turned his head to look at the stars, and stayed quiet for a long time._

_            "Thank you."  He whispered._

_            "Ain't no thing but a chicken wing." _

_            "Mmm…speaking of chicken…"  He rubbed his stomach.  "I'm **starving**."  He stood up and held out a hand to Terri.  She shook her head at his kind gesture and stood up on her own.  The last thing she needed right now was to embarrass herself with her heaviness.  Craig looked at his dejected hand but put on a smile nonetheless._

_            "I know a place around here with some great food.  We can go there after the convention finishes in about an hour."  She said, eager to break the tension in the air._

_            "Sure."  And with that, they went inside._

****end flashback****

            The rest of the night passed by in a flash.  She remembered fries being thrown into the air, the burping rendition of the ABCs, and lots of playful pushing and shoving.  And the laughs, oh the laughs.  Neither of them could finish a sentence without bursting into a fit of laughter.

            "You've got ketchup on your chin!"

            "Eww!  You have hamburger breath!"

            Terri shook her head.  To strangers they must've seemed like a pair of total spazzes.  She didn't give a rat's ass though, because that memory was as special to her as the memories of her mother.  This memory wasn't as depressing though, because that night was the first time she hung out with her new best friend.

            A best friend her father didn't approve of.

            After Craig and Terri had spent the night joking around, they had realized that time had flowed by like water.  With disastrous timing, Terri got to her respective hotel room around 2:40 in the morning.  And her father was wide awake.  Recalling the argument was too painful for her, because it was the first time she had received a verbal scold.  The 'discussion', however, was short.  And simple.  And not possible.  He forbid Terri to ever see Craig again.  

            _"But Dad…"_

_            "No **buts **Terri, my words are final.  Didn't I tell you **no boys?"**_

_            "Yes, b-but I didn't know Craig was going to c-come!!  Besides, we didn't d-do anything!"_

_            "Terri, I may be old, but I'm not stupid.  I was young once too, and that excuse isn't going to work on me.  Get to bed.  This conversation is **over**."_

            And that was that.  But Terri saw Craig anyways.  They hung out during the afternoons when her father went off to work, and talked on the phone on the weekends.

            Biting her lip with excitement, Terri wondered.  __

_            How will this year turn out to be?_

Okay, that was the first chapter.  Sorry it was so much recalling, but you know, it's all necessary.  I'm already writing the second chapter, but with school coming, I don't think I'll have much time to be writing.  I'll update as much as I can J.  A feedback/review is appreciated.  Constructive criticism is as well.  


	2. Chapter 2

**Temporaryism **

**Pairings:  **Just wait and see!!  (Het)

**Rating: ** PG-13

**Author's Note:  **Second chapter.  This time I'm dealing with the new 9th graders. 

**Disclaimer:  You know, I own nothing, yadda yadda yadda.  **

            J.T. looked up at the Degrassi school building.  It looked the same as it did last year, only that the windows changed color and that the dirt on the letters of D-E-G-R-A-S-S-I had accumulated.  _Seriously, when the word looks **that horrible, who cares about the color of the windows?  Shaking his head, he and Toby stepped inside the building.  **_

            As soon as they stepped inside, it sounded as if someone had just cranked up the volume.  Girls giggling in one corner, masochistic groups of guys retorting obscenities to one another in the other bend, and frequently the sounds of a basketball dribbling would echo down the corridor.  Flexing his arms horizontally, J.T. glanced left and right, trying to use his radar to find Paige.  No such luck.  "Ahhh…another year, my dear friend.  Now that we're 9th graders, I think we'll have more of a chance with the **ladies**."  He smiled at a passing brunette.  Her friends laughed and whispered behind their hands.

            "Oh please, like you can ever get a woman in this lifetime.  Besides, _I'm still with Kendra.  So looking at anyone else is out of the question."  Toby said stately.  J.T. glanced at him.  Toby had changed much since the last time J.T. saw him.  He was a lot taller now, his hair was cut shorter and his voice was much deeper.  Obviously, he noted, puberty had changed Toby as much as it changed himself.  J.T. had dyed his hair with sandy blonde streaks, and now his locks fell below his ears.  His Aunt Shirley had commented on him looking like "one of those Californian surf boys", not that he had the slightest clue what she meant.  He had grown from his small 5'0 stature to about a 5'6, and his voice sounded rougher from the last time he heard it on his answering machine.  Not to mention acne…pimples were the worst thing to ever happen to him since…well…ever.  But all this growing hadn't made them more mature, they were still goofy and silly in their own ways._

            "Why is it out of the question?  Does Kendra have you on a lockdown or something?  Besides, it's not like you can walk around with your eyes closed just to not look at another g-g-girl.  Whoa…"  J.T. stopped dead in his tracks and stared ahead.  His mouth was partially open and his eyes were wide.

            "J.T?  What is it?  Who are you staring a- whoa."  Toby looked in the direction that his friend was looking at.  Behind them, guys were calling catcalls at the girl, well, woman, who was walking towards them.

            "Manny!?!"  Both boys called out in surprise.

            To say that Manny looked incredible was a severe understatement.  She looked…wow.  J.T. was speechless.  It seems puberty gets around…and it definitely looks better on girls.  Manny still had long hair; her black curls flowed over her shoulders and down her upper back.  She wore a short sleeved red t-shirt that looked a bit tight, with a black skirt that reached up to her knees.  But that, J.T. thought, wasn't it.  Her breasts had grown a whole lot bigger, and they greatly flattered her top.  Her legs gently flirted with her skirt; they looked so smooth…he felt his pants grow tight, and his palms begin to sweat.   "_Crap_…"  J.T. muttered under his breath and tore his gaze away.  No, pimples weren't the worst thing to happen…this was.  "Toby…_Toby…**Toby!"  He snapped his fingers in front of Toby's face.  As if on cue, his friend seemed to spring back to life.  **_

            "What?"  Toby said, clearly worried that he had been staring a bit _too _long.  _If I'm already looking at girls…then this is going to a lot harder than I thought…_

            "Listen, I'm going to go to the bathroom.  Tell the girls I'll see them in home-"

            "Hey guys!"  _Great!  _J.T. thought.  _Quick…a book…or a backpack…_he placed his book bag in front of him and turned around to face Manny.  She was smiling broadly at both of them; her eyes glowing with happiness.  

            "Hey Manny."  J.T. said weakly.  _This situation was just getting worse and worse…_Toby looked at him with raised eyebrows and a curious expression.  J.T. just glared back.  Toby greeted Manny.

            "Wow, you two look _so **different!**"  She said ecstatically.  "J.T., I love what you did with your hair."  She ran a hand through J.T.s shaggy mane and giggled.  He pulled back quickly.  _

            "Uh…y-yeah!  Um…you look different too."  He managed a smile.  Manny grinned back.

            "Thanks.  Although I don't see much of a difference…" she looked down at herself.  _Don't stare J.T.  "Just my clothes; but you know me…I like to get dressed up on the first day of school."  She smiled again.  __Can she ever stop smiling?_

            "Uh…yeah.  Listen, I-I gotta go to the bathroom _really badly, so I'll catch up with you in homeroom okay?"  He didn't even wait for her response before he ran off down the hallway.  Toby just shook his head and smiled._

            "Hmm…wonder what's up with J.T.?  Oh well…hey, have you seen Emma?"  She asked Toby.  

            "No, I haven't.  We just got here.  Maybe she's in the washroom."  He suggested.  Manny looked pretty all right, but nothing compared to Kendra.  Just thinking about her brought a slight smile to his face.

            "Yea, I guess so.  I'll see you in a few."  And with a quick grin, she fled off down the hallway.

            _Why was J.T. acting so weirdly?  _Manny asked herself.  She felt her lips tug at a threatening giggle…J.T. didn't look so bad this year.  Sure, she still saw him as her friend, but if she was a stranger, she would definitely have gone all out for him.  Shaking her head, she rounded a corner…only to barge into someone else.  Books flew everywhere, and she fell backwards onto her butt.  She heard the other person groan with annoyance and shuffle around.  Some people passing in the hallway started laughing, and one person yelled out, "losers!"  Frustrated with her clumsiness, she shifted herself so she was crouching.

            "I'm sorry…I didn't see you…"  Manny rubbed her sore seat and looked up at the person she collided with.  She gasped.  "Hi Sean."  Sean looked up at her, and his eyes boggled.  He blinked rapidly a few times and looked away.  

            "Hey.  Watch where you're going next time, 'kay?"  He picked up his books and stood.  Manny, who was wearing a skirt and was getting more self-conscious by the passing second, stood up with her books in her embrace.  She nodded.

            "Yeah, sorry.  I guess this whole first day thing has gotten to my head…"  She laughed weakly.  Sean…he didn't look all that different…except that he had gotten taller and more muscular.  _Wow…Emma is so lucky_.  She suppressed her oncoming fit of laughter and examined him instead.  His biceps were bulging underneath his tight gray t-shirt, and she could faintly see the outlines of a six-pack.  Oh wait.  "Sean, have you seen Emma?"  She let her gaze drift back up to his eyes. 

            "No…I was hoping you knew where she was."  He looked down and scuffled his feet.  Manny shook her head and directed her gaze down the hallway, looking for a tall blonde.  The only blonde she saw, however, was Paige, who was only standing about six feet away.  She raised her eyebrows inquisitively at Manny, smiled knowingly, and walked away.  Blushing, she glanced back at Sean.  

            "Well…I guess I'll see you in class then.  Later."  With a smile and a glance, she walked rapidly down the hall.  She wasn't sure, but she felt a burning sensation prickle on the back of her neck, as if someone was watching her.  _No, it couldn't be.  _Shaking her head, she quickened her pace, her thoughts racing as fast as her speed.  Once she was out of sight, she backed up against the wall and moaned in frustration.  Her blood circulation seemed to have increased in speed, and her stomach was churning in that all-too-familiar feel.  And it certainly wasn't due to her walking.  _This was not good._

            Emma examined her surroundings, trying to pick out any sort of familiar face.  She had been waiting outside her new homeroom for the past 15 minutes, and to be truthful, she was getting a bit impatient.  She had been the first one there (unfortunately), and she felt like a total geek for being there before the first bell rang.  Straightening her hair, she started making her way towards the entrance.  _This is incredulous…they wouldn't come late for the first day of school, would they?  _Checking her watch, she saw that there were 3 minutes left to the clock.  _Nope, definitely not.  _

Turning the corner, she saw an unfamiliar blonde sitting down with his head in his hands, his knees up to his chest.  She didn't know what it was- perhaps it was the whole idea of a lone figure sitting in an empty hallway, looking melancholy, or the fact that she had the savior complex of helping out people with emotional stress- but she found the urge to go over and hug the solitary boy.  Restraining herself and settling for the next best thing, she walked over to the mysterious boy and sat down next to him.  He smelled so good…his cologne wasn't on the strong side; in fact, it was very soft.  Something about him though…something seemed so familiar…

            "Are you okay?"  Emma spoke to the boy.  Immediately his back tensed and his breathing quickened.  He looked up.  

            Gasp.

            "**J.T?"  Emma said, skeptical and nearly yelling.  _Oh My God!  I cannot believe I thought all those things about him…ugh…_**

"Hello to you too, Emma."  He said, his voice filled with…a sentiment that she had never heard in his voice before.  Her brow wrinkled in sympathy; he wasn't the high school version of Brad Pitt, but that didn't make him any less worthy of her compassion.

            "I'm sorry J.T., it's just that…you look so…**_different_**."  She saw his eyes darken.  "Not in a bad way."  She added quickly.  _Help, not insult._  "What's wrong?"

            The question lingered in the air curiously, and silence stretched out between them.  After a while of rhythmic breathing, Emma thought that she was never going to hear the answer to her question.  Finally he spoke.  "Nothing."  She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

            "Nothing is wrong."  

            Okay, sorry if this chapter was shorter than the other…or longer…who keeps count anyway?  LOL.  Anyways, thank you all so much for the feedback, and let's not immediately assume couples shall we?  ;)  I'll try to be the least transparent as possible…which I don't think is but…

            Anyway, again, feedback=appreciated.  Next chapter…what is J.T. exactly so depressed about?  You can bet your snitch designed socks that they're not about his little girl fantasies, that's for sure.  


	3. Important Note!

Hey guys.I owe you all a major APOLOGY for not updating at all these past few months. School has really caught up to me, and I barely have time to breathe, much less write a new chapter for Temporaryism. However, yes, there is the light, I will continue this story. As a matter of fact, I have already started writing the 3rd chapter, but progress is going very slow. I hope you all just have a little more patience, and I thank you all for the reviews! I'm so happy you guys liked it! ( 


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